The tasting sessions of wine2wine Business Forum 2024 took the audience inside the mind of a wine critic
How do international wine writers and judges score and evaluate wines? Answering this question was one of the key goals of the wine2wine Business Forum 2024. The 11th edition of the Forum concluded on November 5th with much to celebrate, welcoming wine industry professionals for two intense days of meetings, networking, tastings, and discussions about the future of the market, with a special focus on artificial intelligence (AI), the theme of the 2024 edition.
Building on their successful introduction last year, the tasting sessions were among the moments most appreciated by attendees at wine2wine Business Forum 2024, and represented an important central element of the event, generating an overwhelmingly positive response from participants. This year, the six tasting sessions, held in a dedicated 150-seat room, offered a range of insights into diverse aspects of the sector, exploring different organoleptic profiles, tasting approaches and evaluation criteria, delving into the main trends and consumer expectations, from quality to innovation.
Among the topics covered in the sessions:
- Systembolaget: How the Tender Process and Tasting Work - Tools to Reduce Climate Impact
Gad Pettersson, Head of Product Quality and Sustainable Supply Chain at Systembolaget, explained the blind tasting methodology adopted by the Swedish monopoly, highlighting the importance of factors such as packaging and sustainability, with the aim of responding to the preferences and trends of the consumers.
- A look behind the scenes of wine competitions and 5StarWines - the Book
This tasting, led by two of the General Chairs of 5StarWines, Andrea Lonardi MW and Robert Joseph, presented three award-winning wines featured in the 2025 edition of the 5StarWines – The Book wine guide, available for purchase online. Participants were able to delve deeper into the competition evaluation process and learn about the distinguishing factors that contribute to a high score, through a simulation of scoring discussions.
- Understanding maturity by the glass: old whites of Italy
Cristina Mercuri DipWSET and Gill Gordon Smith IWE hosted a session on the growing interest in premium Italian white wines, particularly their aging potential. They highlighted how these wines can evolve remarkably over time, earning their place in the cellars of international consumers.
- AI for Enthusiasts: A Tasting with Jeff Porter and Danielle Callegari, Italian Wine Experts for Wine Enthusiast Magazine
Wine Enthusiast's Danielle Callegari led a tasting of three wines from native Italian grape varieties. She shed light on recent consumption trends and how Italian wines are perceived by international critics. The session also sparked discussion on how AI is driving a new wine vocabulary rooted in experience and emotion—underscoring the human element that inspires people to share wine.
- Compiling a vintage report
Michaela Morris DipWSET, IWE explored three vintages of Brunello di Montalcino (2017, 2018, and 2019), demonstrating how to evaluate an entire vintage beyond individual wine scores. She offered insights into how vintage characteristics influence the evaluation and market positioning of one of Italy’s most iconic wines.
- A journey of discovery into natural wine blind tasting with Isabelle Legeron MW
Isabelle Legeron MW, founder of RAW WINE, led an immersive natural wine tasting. She highlighted the differences between conventional organic/biodynamic wines and natural wines, offering clarity on this expanding sector of sustainable wine production. The three featured wines were carefully chosen to train participants’ palates and focus on structured sensory evaluation.
These tasting sessions represented a unique opportunity for participants to deepen their understanding of international evaluation standards. For Italian producers in particular, understanding how their wines are perceived globally is vital to anticipating market reactions in their target export Countries. By shining a light on these processes, the wine2wine Business Forum equipped producers with strategic knowledge to enhance their global competitiveness and advance the presence of Italian wine on the international stage.